Chapter 25_True Love's Kiss

Chapter Summary: Hizashi finally awakens, but Snow White isn't by his side.

Whenever the dwarfs thought they had no more tears to cry, more would appear. The dwarfs wept, cried, and sobbed for hours even after their throats felt raw, and their faces ached. Their chests hurt as well and some thought they were sick when their tummies ached, not that any of that mattered. In fact, very little mattered at that time.

The girls were all curled in the arms of Nemuri and All Might. Denki found himself glaring at the floor and pacing. Every now and then, he would kick a piece of furniture that got in his way. Tenya wandered about as well, picking items that had fallen and broke during Himiko's attack. Izuku meanwhile, just sat in a corner where he pulled into himself. Despite usually being the one who was easiest to break out crying, this time, his eyes were dry. His grief seemed to go beyond tears.

None of them could believe it. Mr. Aizawa was gone.

No one was sure how it happened. They just found him—his body, and-

The elfs moved him, took him—somewhere. The dwarfs hadn't thought to ask. Mr. Aizawa wasn't the first dead body they saw, and he wouldn't be the first they had to bury, but even so… it hurt. It hurt beyond words.

"This is our fault," Momo whimpered. "We were supposed to help him, but-" A sob broke the sentence.

"That's not true at all," Nemuri assured her, her hand brushing her hand over her hair. "You did help him. You got him over the mountains, through the imp lands, and to here. This isn't your fault. That attack took everyone by surprise." It didn't feel that way. They felt they should have done something more. Anything, as long as it saved him.

"Wh-what about Mr. Hizashi?" Tsuyu suddenly asked, her words caught in a hiccup. "Mr. Aizawa went through so much for him… and he didn't even get to say goodbye…"

Everyone's hearts broke even more at the thought, but no one had any words to say, so they just let sorrow fill the silence.

777

Hizashi awoke to the gentle streams of sunlight pouring through a window of a golden room. The sight was a relief as he felt as if he had just awakened from a long nightmare before the dream switched to nothingness.

'What happened?' He barely remembered anything. It was an effort to cut through the fog in his mind, but Hizashi recalled Shigaraki and how he used the heart he brought to curse him after weeks of torture. Then he remembered his beloved Snow White—

'Snow White!' Hizashi had to see him, make sure he was safe and sound. He had-

He tried to lift himself up but was hit with a wave of dizziness.

"Easy now," a feminine voice cooed. "You don't want to push yourself too hard now." Hizashi turned his head to see a beautiful woman with eyes of deep blue and hair as dark as night. Her ears were pointed, telling Hizashi that she was an elf. He stared, in part that he needed to focus on something. Despite the elfin blood in him, Hizashi had never seen an elf before. No one had for a long time.

"Who…?" Hizashi's throat was dry, and his words wobbled. He could barely finish the sentence. She gave him a kind smile as she strutted over, pulling a chair to sit on.

"I'm Nemuri of the Golden Valley. That's where you are, by the way." Hizashi could barely wrap his mind around the words. His grandfather told him of the Valley, and everyone knew it was the home of the elfs, but no one had heard anything else for nearly a century. Most importantly, he had no idea how he got here.

"Thought no one could reach the Golden Valley…" he mumbled. There was a hollow chuckle.

"Well—a lot's happened." Hizashi stared at the ceiling, trying to get his thoughts in order.

"Where's Snow White?" he asked. "Is he alright?" Even in his daze, he could see the sadness upon the maiden's face. A cold feeling raced down his spine, and he shot up, ignoring the dizziness that plagued him afterward. "Where's Snow?" he asked again. His voice was sharper than before but filled with worry.

The woman gave a sad smile. "A lot's happened," she repeated.

She went on to tell him Snow White's tale as best she could. The information came from Chiyo, who was out healing injured parties, but Nemuri hoped it would be enough. As she spoke, she thought about putting Hizashi back to sleep to force him to rest some more. After seeing his expressions, however, Nemuri decided that would be too cruel. So she continued to speak until she finally reached the end, where they found Snow White lying lifeless on the floor.

"...We're not sure what happened, but we think he was poisoned. Usually, it's no big deal for us to cure that, but when we found him… It was too late. I'm so sorry." Hizashi didn't reply.

He just froze and stared, all the color and warmth leaving him, his expression filled with pain.

'It can't be true, right?' he thought. Snow, his beloved Snow White… gone? No. 'It can't be. It can't. It can't. It can't. It can't. It can't. It can't—'

"I have to see him," He threw the covers up and tried to stand, but his limbs were numb and jelly-like. He slid down to the end of the bed but caught himself before he hit the floor. After his failed attempt, he looked up at Nemuri, his entire being pleading.

"Please?" What was he begging for? Help to stand? For her to tell him this was all a lie or a mistake? That his Snow White was still alive and safe? That Hizashi hadn't failed him? All of that and more?

Nemuri's face was sympathetic. "Of course."

Nemuri dressed Hizashi in white silk he felt was reserved for royals and blue jeans. He didn't want to bother with shoes as they were a waste of time. It was hard for him to stand at first, but he was determined to get to Snow even if he had to crawl. Thankfully it didn't come to that as Nemuri, along with another elf, assisted him.

He was lead down the halls of wood and gold until they came to a garden overgrowing with flowers. It was so beautiful Hizashi thought it should be filled with shy or passionate lovers. Instead, it was filled with mourners in tears and heartbreak. Before him, he saw six small children who had cried so much their faces had turned red. They were being comforted by a thin, frail man with blond hair and blue eyes. The children looked vaguely familiar to Hizashi, but it was hard to place them...

The tears intensified when they saw him.

"Mr. Hizashi?" one asked. Hizashi numbly nodded. "I'm… I'm sorr-" The words died in his throat as they were swallowed by tears. Instinctively, Hizashi reached out and patted his head, unable to say anything. He pulled away from the two elfs holding him up and stumbled forward, past all the mourners, ignoring their stares as he did so.

Then he saw it. Or rather, he saw him.

Snow White, his beloved Snow White, was lying in what appeared to be a coffin made of glass. He was dressed in red and blue silk as he laid atop a bed of red and white roses. His arms were crossed over his chest. Snow's skin had always been as pale as its namesake, but now all signs of life had vanished, leaving him to look like a porcelain doll.
Hizashi was numb at first. He didn't even realize he had walked over until his hand had reached out and touched the glass. That was when the harsh realization hit him like a whip. He collapsed as his whole world fell apart. Tears fell from his eyes, staining his face with his grief.
He failed.
All Hizashi wanted to do was to protect Snow White, but in the end, he had let Snow down. Now he was gone forever. He would never see his smile or the smirk he would give when he teased Hizashi about something. Never again would he hear Snow's quiet laugh when Hizashi did something dumb. Snow would never be able to call him an idiot or put him in a headlock when he called him 'Prince Buckethead.' Hizashi would never be held by him again. He would never feel his skin on his, or his soft kiss on his temples after a moment of playful banter.
Everything they had... was gone.
He looked at the elfs who stood by, sorrow and pity lining their faces.
"Can… Can I say goodbye?" he asked. His voice broke as he spoke the words. The two nodded and lifted the cover of the coffin off so Hizashi could reach out to him one last time.
Hizashi cupped Snow's face in one hand, the other combing through the ebony locks. The hair was soft, a sharp contrast to the grease and dirt it usually had. They must have washed it to prepare Snow for his burial. They had even shaved him too. For the first time, he looked like the prince he was born to be.
Hizashi's tears fell non-stop. Even if he had the will, he could not contain his despair.
"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I… I wanted to protect you. To keep you safe. That's all I ever wanted—no. No, that's not true; I wanted more. I wanted to spend our lives together. I wanted to be with you forever. But I failed. And now I've lost you... forever..." This realization took whatever strength he had left, and he collapsed on top of his one true love, knowing that all their hopes and dreams together—were gone.
Eventually, gentle hands touched his back, and Hizashi got the message; it was time to let go. Sniffing and choking back a ragged sob, Hizashi held Snow White's hand one last time.
"I love you. I will always, always love you." He then leaned down and kissed Snow White one last time. One last kiss before he said goodbye forever-
Lips pushed back.

Hizashi pulled away and jumped in shock. Snow White's lids fluttered until his eyes, red as the blood from the heart, were looking at him.

"Hizashi…" Hizashi collapsed forward and grabbed at him. Snow White lifted his hand and cupped Hizashi's face. "You're alive..." Hizashi let out a choked laugh, shock slowly being replaced by relief.

"I'm not the one in a coffin," he sobbed. "I thought you… is this real?"

Snow White lifted his head while slipping his hand behind Hizashi's. He pulled them together and gave Hizashi another kiss, this one full of desperation and longing. Hizashi wasn't the only one who needed reassurance that this wasn't all a dream. When Snow pulled away, both were gasping.

"It's real," he confirmed. Hizashi's laughter was entangled with tears.

"That's a way to prove it," he chuckled. Then blinked his eyes to fight back the tears shining in his eyes. "I really thought… There were so many times when I thought I'd seen you for the last time, but here we are."

"Yeah, about that-" Snow White sat up and grabbed Hizashi by the chin, forcing the other to look into his eyes. The stare was so intense that Hizashi felt his heartbeat pick up a pace or two as his cheeks turned red.

"Never do that again," Before Hizashi could ask what, Snow White continued. "Never send me away again just so you can throw yourself into danger."

"I just-"

"No. I don't care about your stupid reasons," the other told him firmly. Then his gaze softened as he pulled Hizashi into a tight embrace. "From now on, no matter what, we stay together. End of story. Got it?"

Hizashi was startled at first, then smiled. "I got it. I promise. Together forever, yeah?" He snuggled into Snow White's chest while listening to the soft rhythm of the other's heartbeat.

For a time, it felt like it was just the two of them in the world, but then they were brought back to reality.

"Mr. Aizawa!" Hizashi and Snow White pulled apart just as seven dwarfs ran up and practically dog piled the latter. Each of them was crying and sobbing with relief.

"You're alive!"

"We thought the Queen killed you…"

Snow White vaguely remembered what happened, and every muscle tense. He cradled the dwarfs protectively and looked around.

"The Queen-" he started.

All Might held up a hand to settle his worries. "Is no longer a threat," he assured him. Snow White took a sigh of relief.

He looked over the seven dwarfs in his lap. Some were still weeping with joy, while others were laughing.

Snow White had thought he was cursed his whole life but realized how lucky he was to find these seven kind, selfless, and brave people who faced hell with him and cried with sorrow and joy over his being.

He looked at the first blessing of his whole life; Hizashi, who looked amused but happy as he watched Snow White with the dwarfs but most of all relieved. Sunlight danced on his head, creating a halo effect as his hair hung down over his shoulders in golden strands. Hizashi didn't have green eyes anymore, instead they were a deep scarlet, the same he had as a beast. They were just as beautiful, however.

Snow White would yell at Hizashi later for the danger he put himself in. In fact, Snow White would yell at him for a very, very long time for being so damn self-sacrificing, but for now, he just smiled. For the first time in his life, even if it was just for a moment, everything was perfect.

It wouldn't always be perfect. In fact, there would be many moments in their lives when things weren't perfect at all.

But even so, they all lived happily ever after.

{The End}

A/n:

*And then a meteor hit them. Lol, just kidding!

*Thanks to every for reading my story! I know it wasn't perfect, but I still gave my best! When I starting writing this I hadn't read any books or written for a long while and I think that's fairly easy to tell.

Have a pleasant day or night!